Dushanbe Zoo yesterday turned 59 years old.  Over the past nearly 60 years, the zoo has been dilapidated but has never been repaired or rehabilitated.  The next director has recently been replaced, and all hopes are now on him. 

Recall, more than 25 animals died in Dushanbe Zoo last year alone.  Moreover, the terrarium burned down, and all animals that were there reportedly burned alive with it. 

Meanwhile, the Dushanbe authorities are currently developing a plan of construction of a new zoo on the outskirts of the capital.

In total, 985 animals of 135 species are reportedly now kept in the Dushanbe Zoo.  50 people now work for the Dushanbe Zoo, and only 32 of them are specialists. 

Founded in 1961, the zoo is located in the center of the city on the Luchob River bank (on Ismoili Somoni Avenue).  By 1974, with 1059 animals of 254 species, Dushanbe Zoo was regarded as one of the best zoos in the Soviet Union.  Until the breakdown of the Soviet Union and independence in 1991, the zoo was considered one of the best sightseeing attractions in Dushanbe.  The number of animals was great and diverse.  National independence in 1991, followed by a civil war lasting until 1997, posed a great threat to the zoo in terms of the loss of species and economic hardship.  Public financing was no longer available to the extent it was before.

Dushanbe Zoo has been member of the Eurasian Regional Association of Zoos and Aquariums since 2007.